Car-coupling.



w. McCONWAY, JR.

CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.18. 1914.

illlldlllllllllllllll Patented July 27, 1915.

um ll Allllll 7 l COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

T S orrio.

WILLIAM MCCONWAY, JR, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, Ass enon 'IO McCONWAY & TonLEYcoMrANY, or PITTSBURGH, rENNsYLvANIA, aconronarron or PENN- SYLVANIA.

oAze-courmne.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MCCONWAY, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have'in'vented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention particularly relates to the construction of car couplers which are designed to be capable of a lateral swinging movement with respect to the railway vehicle upon which. they are mounted, and is especially and advantageously applicable ,to that class of devicesfcommonly known as tender. couplers, I

Theprimary objects of the invention are to provide simple and eflicient means for preventing drooping of the coupler head and to provide a construction in which the height of the coupler above thetrack rails may be adjusted with facility. These objects of the invention are accomplished, generally stated,-by providing the pocket-member, to whch the coupler is pivotally connected, with a plurality of slots or recesses that are arranged inpairs at different heights, the shank of the coupler which is associated with the pocket member being slotted transversely to receive a laterally extending plate, bar or key whoseprojecting ends are respectively adapted toenter the corresponding slots or recesses of eachof the several pairs of such slots with which the pocket member is. provided.

In the drawings chosenfor the purposeof illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims, Figure 1 is a plan view of a coupler embodying. myinvention. Fig. 2 is a view, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section on the line 22, Fig. 3, showing the coupler head in one of its extreme laterally displaced positions. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the devices illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the parts being in the relation shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view, partly in cross-section and partly in front elevation, showing the relation of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1915.

Application filed March 18, 1914. Serial No. 825,654.

' coupler in the pocket member;and Fig. 6 is a view, partly in plan andpartly in horizontal central section, illustrating a modified form of my invention.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the pocket member by which the coupler 2 is pivotally connected to the tender or other railway vehicle. For thislpurpo'se suchpocket member is preferably provided, as is usual, with vertically alin'ed pivot pin openings 3 which are adapted to receive a pivot pin 4. that also passes through 'a corresponding pivot pin aperture 5 extending vertically through the shank of the coupler 2 near the rear end thereof.

The central recess of the pocket member 1 is preferably of flaring form, as shown, being of greater height than the height of the coupler shank and being wider at its mouth than toward its inner end so .as to receive the shank, of the coupler 2 and permit an extended lateral swinging .movement as well as a vertical adjustment thereof. By so forming the central recess of the pocket member 1 it is adapted to receive the'shank of any ordinary form of pivoted coupler and also to receive the common form of shims which are employed to adjust the vertical height of the coupler head. This is advantageous, in that it frequently facilitates themaking of temporary repairs when upon the road. I a I Toward the forward end .of the pocket member 1, and on opposite. sides of the shank-receiving recess therein, are a plurality of slots or recesses 6 which communicate with the flaring central recess of the pocket member. These recesses 6 are arranged in pairs at differentheights, each pair being adapted to receive the corre sponding projecting ends a of a transversely arranged bar or key 7 which extends laterally through a slot 8 piercing the "shank of the coupler 2. As will be readily underabove the rails may be adjusted by assembling the key 7 in the desired pair of slots 6. For convenience of illustration but two pairs of these slots 6 have been shown.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the supporting key 7 is preferably of bent, bowed or angular form, such a key permitting the dimensions of the pocket mem her 1 to be somewhat reduced; but, if desired and as shown in Fig. 6, a straight supporting key 7 may be employed to adjust the vertical height of the coupler 2 with respect to the pocket member 1. As in the case of the construction in which a key 7 of bowed form is employed, the shank of the coupler 2 is appropriately slotted, as at 8*, to receive the straight key 7 a and permit the lateral movement of the coupler while supported thereby, and the pocket member 1 is provided with a plurality of appropriately formed slots 6 which'correspond in arrangement and function to the key-receiving slots 6 of the pocket member 1.

In addition to the heretofore described means for preventing drooping of the coupler head, it is preferred to form the rear end of the coupler shank with a rearwardly extending projection 9 which is adapted to enter and slide or swing laterally within corresponding slots 10 which communicate with the base of the flaring coupler shank receiving recess in the pocket member, 1 or 1 as the case may be. It will be understood that the number and arrangement of the slots 10 are such that the projection 9 on the rear of the coupler shank may enter one or theother of them accordingly as the coupler supporting key 7, or 7, as the case may be, is inserted in the corresponding pair of key-receiving slots or recesses, 6 or 6 of the particular pocket member. When the projection 9 is in one of the slots 10 its upper face engages the upper wall of said slot and thereby prevents drooping of the coupler head. In this construction, therefore, means which are arranged to the rear of the pivot pin 4L assist the transversely extending key in preventing drooping of the coupler head.

In assemblingthe device the key 7 or 7*, as the case may be, is passed through its slot in the coupler shank, the coupler shank is then inserted into the flaring recess of the pocket member so as to cause the ends of the key to enter the desired pair of slots or recesses, 6 or 6, and the pivot pin 4 is then passed through the pivot pin openings in the pocket member and coupler shank. When so assembled the supporting key, 7 or 7, cannot become accidentally disassociated from the other parts of the device.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character indicated, the combination with a pocket member, of means for pivotally connecting a coupler thereto, a coupler having a slotted shank,

and a key passing through the slot in said shank and supported by said pocket member and adapted to maintain the coupler in a plurality of positions of vertical adjustment.

2. In a device of the character indicated, the combination with a pocket member, of a coupler having a slotted shank, means for pivotally connecting said pocket member and coupler, and a bowed key passing through the slot in the shank of the coupler and adapted to be assembled in a plurality of positions with respect to said pocket member.

3. In a device of the character indicated, the combination with a pocket member hav ing a plurality of slots, of a coupler having a slotted shank, means for pivotally connecing said pocket member and coupler, and a key extending through the slot in the shank of said coupler and having ends adapted to enter the corresponding slots of the pocket member to thereby effect vertical adjustments of the said coupler.

4:. In a device of the character indicated,

the combination with a pocket member, of a ing therein a recess adapted to receive the shank of a coupler, of a coupler having a shank which is of less height than the height of said recess, and a key passing through the shank of said coupler and engaging said pocket member and adapted to prevent vertical movement of the coupler with respect to the pocket member.

6. In a device of the character indicated,-

the combination with a pocket member, of a coupler having a recess inits shank, and a key detachably associated with said pocket member and extending into the recess of said coupler and adapted to prevent vertical movement of the coupler with respect to the pocket member.

7. In a device of the character indicated, the combination with a pocket member hav ing a flaring recess for the reception of the shank of a coupler and having upon opposite sides thereof a plurality of slots, said flaring recess being of less height than the coupler shank received thereby, of a coupler, means for pivotally connecting said pocket member and coupler, and a key which is adapted to enter corresponding slots of said pocket member to thereby afford vertical support for said coupler.

the combination with a pocket member, of a coupler, means for pivotally connecting said In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, pocket Ifnember and coupler, arid independeng in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses. means or reventing Vertica movement 0 the coupler with respect to the pocket mem- WILLIAM MGCONVVAY 5 her, said last mentioned means extending Witnesses:

through the shank of the coupler and engag- WILLIAM G. STONE, ing said pocket member. JAMES M. WEAVER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

